Date:13/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/13/stories/2009011351510300.htm

Kerala

Unprecedented rush at Sabarimala

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

Seven pilgrims hurt in attack by wild elephants

Security forces conduct mock drill
Pilgrims camping at various points to witness Makarajyoti

SABARIMALA: Sabairmala witnessed unprecedented rush on Monday as thousands of devotees reached the pilgrim centre to take part in the annual Makaravilakku festival on Wednesday.

Pilgrims began to camp at Paandithavalom and the surrounding forest areas at the Sannidhanam from where they could witness the appearance of the Makarajyoti, which they consider the most auspicious event at Sabarimala, immediately after the deeparadhana at the shrine on Wednesday.

The police had to block pilgrims for a few hours at Pampa in the evening as part of a crowd-control mechanism. The flow of pilgrims to the Sannidhanam was regulated by the police by periodically blocking them at Pampa, Sabaripeetom, Marakkoottom, Saramkuthi and at different points on the Saramkuthi-Sannidhanam path.

As many as seven pilgrims were injured, one of them seriously, when wild elephants entered Pampa early on Monday. Subramaniyan Chandrashekharan, from Dharmasthala in Karnataka, was seriously injured. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ranni.

Body found

An unidentified body was found lying in a putrefied condition in the forests, near Kumbalamthode on Monday. The police took the body to the Pathanamthitta General Hospital mortuary.

Disaster management

The State Police, the National Disaster Response Force, the Rapid Action Force, the Fire and Rescue Services, a medical team attached to the Amritha Institute of Medical Sciences, the bomb detection squad and the Quick Response Team attached to the police conducted a mock disaster management and rescue operation at Pampa Hilltop on Monday.

Police Special Officer (Pampa) Vijay Sakhare told The Hindu that the mock drill was part of an exercise to check the preparedness of the disaster management machinery at Pampa, with hardly 36 hours for the Makaravilakku.

Rituals

Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru, assisted by Melsanthi N. Vishnu Namboodiri performed the Praasadasudhikriya rituals at the temple on Monday.

The Bimbasudhikriya ritual will be performed at the Sannidhanam on Tuesday, the Tantri said.